And Lot lifted up his eyes
He immediately fell in with Abram's proposal, but had not the
ingenuity to return back the choice to Abram which he gave him,
but took the advantage of it; nor did he show any uneasiness or
unwillingness to part from Abram, though so near a relation, and
so wise and good a man, and by whose means greatly he had
obtained his riches; but without giving himself any concern about
this, he at once cast about in his mind where to make his choice;
he considered within himself which was the best part of the
country, and most convenient for his flocks and herds, and where
he was most likely to increase his substance; for this phrase
chiefly has respect to the eyes of the understanding, he made use
of, consulted with himself with his rational powers what was
fittest to be done; unless we can suppose him situated on some
considerable eminence, from whence he could have a view of the
whole country he made choice of, as follows: and beheld all
the plain of Jordan, that it [was] well watered every
where;
a large plain, full of rich pasturage, which had its name from
the river Jordan, which by various windings and turnings ran
through it, and which at harvest time overflowed its banks, and
greatly contributed to the richness of the soil: before the
Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah:
as he afterwards did by fire from heaven, and then that part of
the plain on which those cities stood was turned into a
sulphurous lake: [even] as the garden of the Lord, like the
land of Egypt;
as any most excellent garden that is full of plants and trees,
well watered, and well cultivated, and taken care of; as things
most excellent are sometimes expressed by having the name of God,
or the Lord, added to them, as the "cedars of God" or as the
garden of Eden, which was planted by the Lord, abounding with all
kind of trees, and was well watered by a river running through
it: and some think that the plain of Jordan, and the parts
thereabout, were the real garden of Eden; wherefore one learned
F23 man takes the "as" here not to be a
note of similitude, but of reality, and not merely comparative
but causal, giving a reason why it was so watered, being the
garden God; so that the plain was not like unto, but really was
the garden of Eden: and another observes F24, that
the words should be rendered, "so was the garden of the Lord, as
the land of Egypt", and that the repetition of the similitude
only makes one comparison, and not two; not that the plain of
Jordan is first compared with the garden of the Lord, and then
with the land of Egypt; but the plain of Jordan, or garden of the
Lord, is only compared with the land of Egypt; and with that
undoubtedly it is compared, it being once a year overflowed by
the river Jordan, as the land of Egypt was with the Nile, and was
a most delightful and fruitful spot like that: as thou
comest unto Zoar;
which is not to be connected with the land of Egypt, for Zoar was
at a great distance from Egypt, but with the plain of Jordan,
well watered everywhere till you come to Zoar, at the skirts of
it, and which is by an anticipation called Zoar; for at this
time, when Abram and Lot parted, it was called Bela, and
afterwards, on another account, had the name of Zoar; see (
Genesis
14:2 ) ( Genesis
19:20 Genesis
19:22 ) .